DIY Topiary Tiered Pumpkin Decor

My mother-in-law and I saw this cute Pinterest post with tiered pall pumpkins and we wanted to recreate it ourselves. We bought the pumpkins at Michaels and of course used out 50% off coupons, and the sticks we already had laying around.  We bought the pots at Big Lots and filled them with soil. We made TWO tiers, but in this tutorial I will be sharing how to make one.  I also strongly recommend Target, because they carry lights, stakes, and pots, and possible pumpkins if you can't find them at Michaels.

------
Here are the supplies you will need:
- 5 fake pumpkins (3 white, 2 black). Either 9" or 13" will work.
- 1 Pot : We purchased ours from Big Lots (Gardening Center)
- Metal rod/ approximately 4" tall and 3/4" round (depending on how big your pot is, you'll need to put a large portion of the rod into the soil/dirt to hold it in place.  We packed ours down with a little water.)
- Exacto Knife or fake pumpkin carving tools. (We bought a set of 3 at Michaels for $3.99)
- 1 String of white lights.  (We used a pack of 140 that was more than enough.  We would have been fine with a pack of 50-75. Here's a pack of 50 for @2.49 at Target)

-----
Step 1: Draw out your pumpkin faces using a pencil on your pumpkins. Be as creative as you'd like!  I chose to do different faces throughout.  You can also check out this page for different pumpkin faces courtesy of Shutterstock.

Step 2: Carve out the eyes, nose and mouth or whatever shapes you chose to make. (This part is the most time consuming.(Hand cramping) But the result is worth it!

Step 3: Shake out all the debris from cutting and decide how you want your pumpkins to lay on top of each other.  I alternated them sideways.  I made X's on where to cut the circle.  Make sure to cut the circle large enough to fit through the stake.  

Tip: Don't forget to make sure the top pumpkin only has a hole at the bottom, because the top of your stake will be in the middle of the pumpkin for balance and doesn't need to poke out the top.

Step 4: Carve out a square on the reverse side of each pumpkin large enough to fit a light plug. (both top and bottom) Again, do not add the square on the top of the top pumpkin.

Step 5: We started adding the pumpkins on the stake one by one and weaved the string of lights through as we did it. (Make sure to leave enough room to be able to plug your lights into an outlet.  We accidentally strung the lights up the wrong way! #FAIL, so make sure you don't follow our mistake!) 

Tip: Also pictured is a wooden stake that did not work as we had planned. It was not sturdy enough to hold up the pumpkins.  We had to get a metal stake.

 

Once you weave all the lights through the opening in the back like you made in Step 4, and all your pumpkins are on the stake you are done!  Just add any floral or pretty accents on the bottom to give it some curb appeal, and you've got yourself the cutest DIY pumpkins on the block!

Share your DIY pumpkins with us! Tag @showeredwithdesign and use hashtag #showeredwithdesign on instagram!  We cannot wait to see what creative juices are flowing your way!

*This post contains affiliate links.  If you purchase something through the links, I may be given a small commission.

Linking with Katie and Pinky.